Schools will remember people killed in Parkland, Fla., shooting on Wednesday

By Amy Bounds

Staff Writer

Posted:
03/10/2018 12:00:00 PM MST

Updated:
03/14/2018 07:41:19 AM MDT

Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student Emma Gonzalez speaks at a rally for gun control at the Broward County Federal Courthouse in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., on Feb. 17. (Rhona Wise / AFP)

Boulder High sophomore Isabelle Bullock is helping organize a march for her classmates next week, joining students nationwide planning to walk out of school to protest gun violence.

The Boulder High students are walking to a gathering in front of the courthouse on the Pearl Street Mall after taking 17 minutes of silence to remember the 17 people killed in Feb. 14's Parkland, Fla., school shooting.

"This is a generation that's been raised on tales of Ghandi and Martin Luther King and people who made a difference," Isabelle said. "Peaceful civil disobedience is one of the best ways we can get our word out there. Watch out for us, because we're about to start to fill up our representative seats in government."

At Broomfield High, senior Riley Judd is organizing a walkout that includes a march to Broomfield's city and county building while carrying signs. All students, regardless of whether they march, are encouraged to wear orange.

After the march, she said, students can elect to go back to class or stay outside the school to write letters to Congress urging them to take action to keep schools safe from gun violence.

Activists hold up signs at the Florida State Capitol as they march for gun reform legislation in Tallahassee, Fla., on Feb. 26. (Don Juan Moore / Getty Images)

"Adults are telling us that we need to be leaders and we need to take roles and be this future generation, yet as current leaders, they have failed us and they can't even take action against something that is affecting us so directly," she said. "Our lives are at risk."

Riley's inspiration to organize the walkout: Watching videos on social media of live footage from inside Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School as students hid from the gunman.

"It was absolutely horrifying," she said. "Just to hear those gunshots and see dead bodies on the floor with blood all around them and realize they were students and they were their classmates."

Plans at local schools include a mix of events, with some focusing on remembering the Florida victims and others more on protests. Some also are marching, while others plan to stay on campus.

All plan to start with 17 minutes of silence at 10 a.m. Wednesday in honor of the 17 students and adults killed by a former Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School student wielding an AR-15 rifle.

Leora Greene, a senior at Monarch High, said organizers want to remember the Florida victims and advocate for safer schools.

But while she's a proponent of stronger gun control measures, the event on the school's field won't focus on a ban on assault weapons or other similar gun control measures, she said.

"The other organizers and I want it to be a united event at our school, rather than having it turn into a large fight," she said. "Gun control is one of those issues that people are very passionate about on varying sides. We want many people to show up and stand up for our rights as students to attend a safe school."

Jessie Weise, a junior at Centaurus in Lafayette, said students will stand outside the school for 17 minutes in solidarity on Wednesday, while a more political march focused on gun violence is planned for the following week.

"It's happened far too many times and nothing has been done about it," she said. "Even though we can't necessarily vote, we can still make our voices heard."

Jessie said she's getting involved because she's becoming more politically aware and felt a strong connection to the Florida shooting.

"All of the school shootings rattle me, but this one was so close to home," she said. "There's so much I want to do with my life, and these kids didn't even get a chance."

Along with schools that have registered on the Women's March site, other schools that plan to participate include Boulder's Casey Middle School, Louisville Middle School, Centaurus High and Longmont's Silver Creek High School.

Haven Nasif, a Casey eighth-grader, said the plan is for students to go to Casey's field and link arms for 17 minutes of silence, followed by an open mic so students can share their thoughts.

"Frankly, it should be harder for someone to get shot while taking a math test," Haven said. "Many of my friends and I just want to spread awareness to this issue since it affects us directly. It's not a matter of, we want to change things; it's we need to change things."

Boulder Valley recently sent a letter to parents outlining how the district plans to handle the walkouts, with Superintendent Cindy Stevenson saying that keeping students safe is the main goal.

Boulder Valley's policy is not to prohibit or punish students who participate in protests and walkouts, though students are required to make up missed work. Elementary and middle school students also can only leave campus after a parent checks them out.

Stevenson said she's encouraging schools to provide an on-campus spot where students can assemble and share their views, along with encouraging students not to participate just because they want to get out of school.

"If kids are going to walk out, we want them to be clear about what they're trying to accomplish," she said.

She said she's received emails from parents that range from demands that a school not prevent students from walking out to demands to prevent a specific student from leaving.

All Stevenson can promise, she said, is that some teachers will accompany students who leave, and others will stay in the building with those who don't.

"We won't impose our thinking on students," she said. "Kids have a lot to say. We need to listen to them."

St. Vrain Valley School District spokeswoman Kerri McDermid said the district hasn't issued any guidance on walkouts and that school operations "will continue as normal."

In the St. Vrain Valley School District, spokeswoman Kerri McDermid said, "We're not organizing or condoning the walkouts."

Jack Carlough, a senior at Longmont's Silver Creek High School, said he's hearing that a large number of students plan to join the national walkouts.

But, he said, the school's principal is discouraging students from taking part, instead suggesting that they focus on acts of kindness in the school community or voice their opinions in other ways. Students also had the opportunity to write letters of support for the students at Stoneman Douglas.

Jack added that he's not planning to participate in the upcoming walkout, though he does support students who will walk out.

"I do agree that it is time to take action, but through inclusion, kindness and outreaches for students struggling with mental health issues, so hopefully we can prevent the problem at its core," he said.

Along with principals who want to see students say stay in class, Longmont parent Kim Crossland is urging high schoolers not to participate.

Crossland, who has four children, said she's organizing an adult march next to Skyline High on Wednesday morning so students don't have to walk out.

"The premise is that, as parents, we need to step up and do our job and proactively support them," she said. "Our students will see that you're not fighting this alone. We're fighting this for you and with you."

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